Monster bears at NWO again...

[Carol]

[bbvideo=425,350]http://youtu.be/w7UDmUO70aw[/bbvideo]

[Carol]

[bbvideo=425,350]http://youtu.be/QnS1AK-9Tmc[/bbvideo]

[dan]

[bbvideo=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKjpsepFsQ4[/bbvideo]

[Schultzy]

Wow is all I can say!! Big!!! Best of luck Mike hoping he sticks around.

[Uncle Lou]

Nice pics and video. I am anticipating getting a bear tag this year. Just a few more weeks until I find out.

Keep the pics coming

[kurt]

Wow is all I can say!! Big!!! Best of luck Mike hoping he sticks around.

wowx2 what are you est. for weight

[TallTines]

Wow is all I can say!! Big!!! Best of luck Mike hoping he sticks around.

That Bear is a Beast

[TJS]

[Mike Foss]

My latest Bear Story


By Mike Foss
Monster Bears Found, Targeted
Guide’s injury adds to challenge.

The sound was not a good one for a
Wisconsin bear guide to hear, especially
one who relies on physical
health to work bait stations for hunters
over 30 square miles of Bayfield County.
I heard the snap and, rolling on the
gym floor in agony, knew my ankle was
broken. But there was also an immediate
mental anguish almost worse than
the pain. How would I scout, set stands,
bait? Many hunters are counting on me
for that one precious opportunity in September.
My basketball teammates tried to
make light of the situation. Like vultures
circling the dead, one asked if he could
have my basketball, another wanted my
shoes while another with more of a heart
informed my wife, Lori, that I was down.
The look of terror on her face as she
entered the gym touched me. Later she
confessed she thought I had a heart attack
and lay dead. Like a love story, Lori
leaned in close so I could whisper in her
ear my last words without anyone else
hearing.
“How am I going to guide now with a
broken ankle?”
Lori backed away with a frown on her
face. She lightly cuffed me on the head.
“You’re lying here with a broken ankle and
all you can think about is bear hunting?”
Well … yes, actually. It’s who I am.
Every spring the snow disappears,
bears reappear from their dens and the
addiction begins again. All I think about
is what must be done over the months
ahead to properly prepare for the hunt.
Some ask why I bait and set stands so
early. With so much time invested in the
forest from April on to ensure 100 percent
shot opportunity for the tag holders,
they question how it could possibly
be worth it.
If the questions are answered from a
money and profit perspective, it’s not
worth it. But that is not the standard,
and that I hope is what sets Northern
Wisconsin Outfitters apart. I am living
my personal dream that has driven me
from childhood. I also know it can end
in a heartbeat, a thought reinforced by
this injury, and that is a nightmare that
also pushes me. I call it a good selfishness,
a race against time. Because someday
it will all end.
This winter I was excited to learn what
new regulations Wisconsin has adopted
for the 2014 bear season. I was skeptical
when the DNR allocated 1000 additional
tags for Zone D. Crowds in northern
Wisconsin are not conducive to quality
hunts, patience or the solitude in the
field required to bring bears to bait, especially
big, older bears.
But the State’s reasons for changes had
me nodding in agreement by the end of
my read. Most nuisance bear complaints
came from the far north in agricultural
land, and flashbacks of viewing cornfields
destroyed by feasting bears set me
in motion. I would take advantage of
the new rules. At the Bayfield County
Courthouse I purchased the newest plat
book and land atlas. After research, I
started calling and knocking on farmers’
doors. Eventually I ended up with more
than 2000 private acres to guide on. A
handshake and three words from one
property owner reflect the feelings of the
northern Wisconsin farmer.
“Kill those bears.”
You know that hunter’s adrenaline
rush? The feeling you get while you’re on
stand and you finally get a glimpse of the
quarry? Or even the feeling of opening
your mailbox and seeing a precious bear
harvest permit that finally arrives after
an eight-year wait?
While scouting these new properties
I found the adrenaline rush often. As I
looked at a monster bear’s fresh tracks
embedded in the forest floor from repetitious
use on his home range, shivers
of excitement swept over me. I pulled my
compass to check wind directions and
scanned the surrounding terrain for the
perfect tree and a hunter’s ambush. The
compass was also placed in the sand next
to the track to offer the reader an idea of
just how big the bear is.
He is very big, but he is not the only
one. I would find similar-sized bear
tracks miles apart. The next day I ventured
back and placed a well-hidden tree
stand, but did not yet start a bait station.
All human scent must dissipate around
the tree stand area before I do. I also
placed one of my favorite Cuddeback
trail cameras on video mode over that
well-worn bear trail. Now the real hunt
begins.
My broken fibula? The swelling has
gone down and the pain has subsided.
I can walk and climb with caution. For-
Mike Foss’s broken ankle can’t stop his
work in preparation of the September
bear season.

[john1984]

Sorry to hear about your ankle , that sucks. But good article.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Mike Foss]

I broke it back in May 1st, is not one of the weight baring bones, I have been back in action for some time now. Bone still did not heal properly, if it bothers me I will have surgery some time after the bear season.

[dan]

Thats what separates the boys from the men... Not much of anything would keep me out of the woods this fall. Your pretty much the same. There is a passion to do what we do... You and I both would make a lot more money doing a couple hours of over time at our regular jobs, but there is something in side of us that drives us to do the things we do... At some point the pain will end, and you will still be successful despite the injury, and you will have another great story about what you went thru to make sure your hunters had a great hunt to remember for the rest of there lives...

The kids and new bear hunters that go on your hunts chasing bear for the 1st time are really impacted by you and what you do. Keep pushing, impressing, and passing on the bear tradition... Im one of your biggest fans Mike

[Mike Foss]

Thanks Dan for the Compliment. Words can never describe the feeling I have when I am out there, I am truly in a happy place.

[Black Squirrel]

I used to play basketball, and come November an injury was my biggest fear. I would get a sub sometimes, jsut so I wouldn't have to play and risk injury . ounds like your back at it. Good luck this up comming season. Can't wait to get back up there.